1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a shoe, more particularly to a shoe having an upper which is folded to form a welt-like fold line unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to FIG. 1, a stitchdown shoe of San Crispino construction includes an upper 1, an insole 2, a stitch line 3 and an outsole 4. The bottom end of the upper 1 is turned outward and folded to be lasted over the periphery of the insole 2. The stitch line 3 is provided along the folded part of the upper 1. When the bottom end of the upper 1 is cemented to the top face of the outsole 4, the bottom end of the upper 1 projects outward, presenting an appearance of a stitchdown shoe. Another shoe with a similar construction is suggested in U.S. Pat. No. 6,484,420. The shoe disclosed therein has a configuration which combines the shapes of a stitchdown shoe and a sport shoe. Although the aforesaid shoe constructions have pleasing outer appearances, they have the following drawbacks:
1. The upper 1 must be supported by an insole 2, which is wider than a last used for lasting the upper 1, in order to present a welt-like configuration. Furthermore, a stiff or less softness material is needed to fabricate the insole 2. As a result, the shoe not only has low flexibility at the front region thereof but also is heavy.
2. Since the bottom end of the upper 1 is folded to wrap around the outer edge of the insole 2, the resulting welt-like configuration is limited to a horizontal plane or line which is defined by the outer edge of the insole so that it cannot be varied to match different shoe designs.
3. The insole 2 has to be formed by using a particular mold which increases the production cost of the shoe.
4. Because the bottom end of the upper 1 is used to wrap around the insole 2 to provide the appearance of a welt, only a lasting process can be used to make such a shoe. A strobel stitching process cannot be applied to the shoe.
Referring to FIG. 2, another shoe which has a welted construction includes an upper, a lining 6, an insole 7, a strip 8, a stitch line 3 and an outsole 9. The bottom end of the upper 5 is folded about the bottom end of the lining 6, the outer periphery of the insole 7 and the strip 8. Thereafter, the bottom end of the upper 5 is sewed to the bottom end of the lining 6 and the outer periphery of the insole 7 to present a stitchdown shoe configuration. In this shoe, although the insole 7 may be made of a soft material, the process of making such a shoe is complicated and time-consuming. In addition, since too many components have to be sewn together, the shoe cannot have sufficient flexibility at its front region. Moreover, this shoe can be constructed only by using a strobel stitching process.